In this paper, the thermal buckling and postbuckling behaviour of composite beam with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are investigated experimentally and analytically. The results of thermal buckling tests on uniformly heated, clamped, composite beam embedded with SMA wire actuators are presented and discussed in consideration of geometric imperfections, slenderness ratio of beam and embedding position of SMA wire actuators. The shape recovery force can reduce the thermal expansion of composite laminated beam, which result in increment of the critical buckling temperature and reduction of the lateral deflection of postbuckling behaviours. It is presented quantitatively on the temperature-load-deflection behaviour records how the shape recovery force affects the thermal buckling. The cross tangential method is suggested to calculate the critical buckling temperature on the temperature-deflection plot. Based on the experimental analysis, the new formula is also proposed to describe the critical buckling temperature of a laminated composite beam with embedded SMA wire actuators.